


Mantras

by Lovedmoviesb



Series: So, You’ve Got a Crush On Spider-Man... [4]
Category: Spider-Man (Tom Holland Movies)
Genre: F/M, Future Fic, Post Far From Home, Romance, Soulmates
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-08
Updated: 2019-08-08
Packaged: 2020-08-13 04:08:30
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 905
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20167891
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lovedmoviesb/pseuds/Lovedmoviesb
Summary: Every superhero has a code, a mantra that guides them. MJ decides to immortalize Spider-Man’s and her own. A Spideychelle future fic full of fluff





	Mantras

**Author's Note:**

> As you enter positions of trust and power, dream a little before you think.  
-Toni Morrison

“What are you doing?” Peter’s voice held more than a hint of amusement as he walked in through the front door of his new apartment. 

MJ turned to him, tugging at her overly large Columbia University t-shirt. “I’m painting,” she answered. She was dressed for the task, wearing clothes that had seen better days. Her hair was pulled into a sloppy cluster of curls just above the crown of her head. 

“I can see that,” Peter grinned at her. “When you said you wanted to paint the walls, I kinda figured we’d go to Home Depot or something.” 

MJ scoffed. “As though we could walk into a store like that without getting mobbed. Did you forget you’re Spider-Man?”

“No,” Peter laughed, shutting the door behind him. “I didn’t forget.” He walked forward until he was right behind her. Together, they stared at the white expanse of wall in front of them. “What are you thinking?” he asked, glancing down at the stack of paint cans, paint pens, and spray cans laying in wait. 

“I’m thinking...” MJ sucked at her teeth, worrying a kinky curl between her fingers for a moment before shoving it unceremoniously back up into the mass of hair gathered at the top of her head. “I’m thinking of mantras.”

“Mantras?” Peter’s eyebrows jumped. 

“Mantras,” she echoed. “You’ve got your thing. With great power--” she gestured to him, still dressed in his uniform. 

“Yeah,” he nodded. “You’re going to paint that on the wall?”

“Not in words,” MJ nodded. “Even though you know I love words.” She turned her attention back to the wall, eyes roving over white space rife with possibilities. 

“Really?” Peter snorted. The corner of his apartment was covered in stacks of books nearly a head high. 

MJ was unfazed. “Are you going to help me?” she questioned. 

“Sure,” Peter nodded. 

“Then get out of that uniform,” she slapped him on the butt like an athlete hyping a teammate. “And come help.”

She stenciled it first, stretched on tip-toe as her hands traced shapes in a fury of motion. She was as confident in her movements as Peter was when he swung, graceful, almost thoughtless as she bounced, twisting and dipping as her vision took shape. Peter stood dutifully by, watching, assisting where he could. 

White walls became the sky, dark blue, teal, laced with gold. Clouds rolled, fluffy and white, streaked with prisms like the rainbow. She handed him a brush and together the world took shape, bright, dreamy, idealistic. Snatches of their lives became immortalized in paint, May’s apartment in Queens, MJ’s fire escape garden, visages of the people who they loved, aspirations for the future. Daylight faded beyond their window, but they scarcely noticed, pausing only to fling the windows open to coax in fresh air. 

Hours later, they collapsed in an exhausted pile on the center of the floor, staring up at their handiwork. 

“I like it,” Peter announced, grinning. 

MJ rubbed a smudge of violet from his cheek, running her fingers through his hair as he settled his head in her lap. “I thought it might be a good reminder. Better than a blank wall, at least.” She tilted her head, observing it. “It’s missing something though…” she mused, worrying her lower lip between her teeth. 

“The words,” Peter answered at once. “They seem kinda important, don’t you think?”

She smiled down at him. “It’s your mural, tiger.”

Peter reached for a paint marker, slapping it into her waiting palm. “You write yours. I’ll write mine.”

They traced the letters out in their own handwriting, side by side. Ben’s voice filled Peter’s mind as he worked. He glanced over at Michelle. She was crouched, staring at her own mantra, wearing an expression that was familiar to him. It was the face she’d made after he’d been outed as Spider-Man, the face she assumed when she insisted she wasn’t going anywhere despite his concerns, the face she made when she planned her protests, penned her editorials, the face she made when she went about saving the world at his side. 

“Done?” he asked quietly, drawing her attention back to the moment.

“Done,” she smiled at him, looking at his work. “I think our mantras match,” she chuckled. 

“Yours is prettier,” he answered. He scooted back, drawing her into his arms. She leaned against his shoulder. 

“Will they be pissed we painted in here?” MJ asked suddenly, the idea occurring to her for the first time. 

Peter shrugged. “It’s my room,” he said. “Plus, like you said, it’s a good reminder.”

“Maybe we should have painted it in the common space then,” MJ laughed. “A reminder for everyone.”

“I think I want to keep this one to myself,” Peter told her, holding her closer to him. 

MJ smiled, turning her head to kiss him. “That works too.”

“They’re probably going to be more pissed I snuck my girlfriend in here than anything else,” Peter laughed against her mouth. 

“You’re an Avenger,” MJ shrugged. “I think you’ve earned a few privileges.” She leaned her head against his. “What are you supposed to be doing tonight?”

“Gotta polish up my thesis,” Peter sighed. “You?”

“Shuri asked for help with curriculum for the New York outreach center,” MJ inhaled. 

They sat together, unmoving. 

“Maybe we take a nap first,” Peter suggested. He lowered them both down flat to the ground, stretching out. 

Michelle curled around him. “Sounds like a plan.”


End file.
